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Monday, September 7, 2009

In our concluding look at Archetypal Fantasy Characters, we recognize the following characters:

Scholar: Possesses great intellect and a love of learning, Scholars are non-combatant in nature, devoting their lives to the study of talents such as medicine, nature, linguistics, and history. Scholars can be a great asset to an adventuring party, even if they lack any familiarity with weapons.

Scribe: Scribes are responsible for most of the world’s written texts. Skilled at both translating and transcribing dozens of written languages, and in the art of Chronicling storytelling, Scribes can be an invaluable asset when it comes to deciphering ancient manuscripts or decoding a ciphered scroll.

Sea Captain: A weather beaten old soul whose only love is his ship and his only mistress the sea. Made strong by many hard years at sea, the Sea Captain sails for both profit and adventure, exploring the far off reaches of the world in search of new resources to exploit and new lands and treasures to claim. Despite their age, Sea Captains are still skilled with a blade, capable of riding out many storms.

Slave: An unskilled individual who has been forcibly torn from their daily life by a Slaver, the typical Slave has a hard life often tortured mercilessly, and sold to the highest bidder as if they were property, the Slave does not have much to live for - except, perhaps, revenge.

Slaver: A nefarious and despicable soul who traffics in the flesh of others, the Slaver is a cruel tyrant who buys and sells people as private property. Intelligent and strong, the Slaver is both a skilled haggler and torturer, part of their job description they seem to revel in.

Slayer: A skilled warrior dedicated to tracking down and killing various fantastical monsters. A Slayer is typically very strong and agile, having mastered martial arts, acrobatics, and numerous weapon skills in addition to an unparalleled tracking ability. Slayers are quite cunning and dangerous.

Stately Elf: Stately Elves, sometimes call High Elves, are easily identified by their fair hair and skin, delicate features, and proper mannerisms. Extremely long-lived, Stately Elves are skilled swordsmen, masters of the long bow, and accomplished magi. They’re more agile and attractive than other races, but have a reputation for being fragile, egotistical snobs. They are practitioners of white magic.

Vigilante: A normal citizen that has taken up arms against criminals in their community, with little time or respect for police or authority figures. Although many Vigilantes aren’t formally trained in the use of weapons, what they lack in expertise, they usually make up for with passion.

Warlock (Wizard) : A practitioner of magic who uses his arcane power in an offensive capacity, the Warlock is a highly intelligent individual. A Warlock is armed primarily with offensive spells such as Lightening Bolt and Fire Ball, although they may be skilled in unarmed combat, too. They deal in the dark arts.

Witch Hunter (Wizard) : An individual who has devoted their life to tracking down and killing rogue Wizards that abuse their magical power. Surprisingly, the Witch Hunter is a Wizard himself - and is also subject to being hunted, should they abuse their own power. A Witch Hunter is typically very intelligent and strong, while arming themselves with a single, black-bladed sword and spells similar to those that a Warlock employs.

There are unlimited possibilities of characters within the fantastical realms, particularly with the blending of genres that has become so popular. What types of characters do you like seeing in fantasy stories? Do you have a favorite archetype?

5
comments:

Okay, no doubt about it, I wanna be a Stately Elf in my second coming. I mean, skilled swordsman, master of the long bow, and accomplished magi, more agile and attractive than other races, and I’m already an egotistical snob. It’s all good.

I read these descriptions with myself in mind, trying to figure out which one I am/would be. I would like to say Scribe, but I'm probably more Scholar. Not necessarily the intellectual part, but I think the Scholar is also a teacher. I think that rather fits me.

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My book, The Destineers Journal of Fantasy Nations, is an encyclopedic field guide of the various creatures in the fantasy world. There are, of course, the well known fairies, elves, and dragons, and some of the lesser recognized nations, like the Barbegazi, the Cloudwalkers, and, of course, the Butterfrogs.
My picture book, If Wishes Were Fishes, is now available on my sites, through the publisher 4RV Publishing, on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, 4 Love of Books & Art, and bookstores everywhere!

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The Destineers Journal of Fantasy Nations...From Alchemist to Banshee, Bodach to dragon, and Yeti to Zombie, the authors give us a glimpse, sometimes with humor, sometimes with chills, of the inhabitants of the Nations of Fantasy. I recommend this guide for writers, readers, and everyone who loves fantasy novels and movies. Even those who aren't really into magical worlds will enjoy reading about the Dullahans, Mooncalves, and Thunderbirds.~Beverly Stowe McClure, Author (Amazon.com Review)